


the spring of life

by rare_cat_meme



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adulthood, Beaches, Crying, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, artist renjun, but loads of naked yukhei, discussing important topics over mario kart, model yukhei, one short steamy scene that i ruined in 0.3 seconds, the struggle of being in your 20s
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-07-19 15:34:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19976419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rare_cat_meme/pseuds/rare_cat_meme
Summary: “What song do want to play at your funeral?” Renjun asks, eyes on the dirty spot on the ceiling, “Like, hypothetically, if you get to choose.”“Hey Ya!by OutKast,” Yukhei answers after a small break, “It’s a classic, just like me,”or Renjun discovers life sucks sometimes, but the right people can certainly make it better.





	the spring of life

**Author's Note:**

> [the story of art](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18284015) has a sister and she's feisty
> 
> shoutout to [jinnieshyun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinnieshyun/pseuds/jinnieshyun) for beta'ing this and not questioning my sanity :)

  1. _A Parting of Ways:_ Rome and Byzantium, Fifth to Thirteenth century



As a wise man named Kun once said: 'No'. Renjun lives by his word of wisdom and carries it with him everywhere he goes. Including right now, in front of the TV of his shared apartment with three other dumbasses.

"Why not?" Jaemin presses on, making Princess Peach drift smoothly in her bright pink motorcycle, executing a perfect turn.

"He doesn't know how to feel other emotions," Donghyuck answers curtly, pressing the buttons of the command aggressively and cursing right after because Yoshi hits a banana peel. "In Renjun's heart there's only anger and lust for Yukhei's dick."

Renjun doesn't bother answering, simply makes Toad throw another shell at Yoshi. Donghyuck screams.

"Maybe you should consider learning a few others, or you're gonna be miserable and angry forever," Jeno adds, unbothered and calm as Shy Guy finishes the third lap in first place. "You're a grown adult, out of university and you've been pretending this artistic block doesn’t exist or isn’t affecting you at all almost three weeks now."

Renjun whines in response, fucking up yet another turn and being placed last. Jaemin and Donghyuck end their laps and the round ends before Renjun can even finish. 

“For real though, you’ve been...off for a while now,” Jaemin says, turning around to face Renjun. “A bit empty, a bit dull.”

The three of them share a look before turning back to the TV. Renjun clears his throat, uncomfortable.

“Y’all are no fun,” he says with a pout. They eye him suspiciously, but he chooses to ignore them for the sake of his own sanity.

Another round of Mario Kart begins and just as Renjun finally takes the lead in the game for the first time in what feels like forever, his phone pings with a message. It’s Yukhei.  _ ‘Hey are you ok? Dinner is getting cold :’/’ _ . Renjun is on his feet in 0.2 seconds.

“Fuck!” he screams, while bulldozing the coffee table, trying to gather his stuff in record time, “I forgot we had a date today!”

The frown in Jaemin’s face only makes it worse. Renjun knows,  _ he never forgets dates _ . No one comments as he leaves in a rush, sending a breathy audio message to Yukhei as he runs to the older’s apartment. 

☂

_ Shame on you, shame on your family, shame on your cow _ , Renjun repeats to himself as the elevator reaches Yukhei’s floor. His face is on fire, his heartbeat is out of control and not in a good way. It only gets worse when he sees Yukhei waiting for him at the door. 

He’s dressed comfortably, as usual, but there’s a noticeable effort he made specifically for Renjun. The hair is slightly pushed back and the soft cotton shirt Renjun really likes is tucked into his pants. His throat feels tight.

“Hey,” Yukhei says, and there’s no trace of anger or disappointment, “Almost thought you forgot,” he jokes. Renjun laughs stiffly, but doesn’t answer. If Yukhei notices, he doesn’t mention it.

He hugs Yukhei before going in, needing some sense of grounding. 

Dinner is quiet, Yukhei tells him about his last few days, the new upcoming clothing brand he’s modelling for and a cute puppy he saw on the subway. Renjun mostly nods along. They end up in bed, no talking, quick and, not for the first time, Renjun feels like he’s on auto-pilot. 

As Yukhei sleeps next to him, Renjun is wide awake, unable to sleep,  _ again _ . It's the third time this week. Jaemin’s words burned in his brain.  _ Dull _ . 

☂

“You’re kidding, right?” Renjun laughs nervously, “This is a prank, where are the cameras?”

His manager gives him a pity stare. The back of his neck starts getting sweaty.

“I’m afraid not,” she says slowly, as if it’s gonna help ease the shock.  _ Too fucking bad Susan _ . “We gotta make the cuts, you know the deal, last in, first out.”

There’s no point in arguing. Renjun knows it’s not her choice. Still, he shoots her a bitter look as he puts on the coffee shop’s apron one last time.

“Yeah, yeah.”

☂

The calendar is mocking him from it’s privileged spot on the desk. It’s been three months since he graduated.  _ Three months _ . He opens his email, praying for a fucking miracle at this point. Empty. Nothing.  _ Nada _ . Leaning back on the shitty office chair, he sighs, looking at the ceiling. 

Renjun thinks back to three months ago. His graduation, when his parents came to visit and met Yukhei for the first time; the first commission for a painting he got; having finally time to paint. Ain’t life a bitch, hum? All of that seems like a big joke now. He’s yet to find a job related to painting, there hasn’t been a commission in two months, he had just gotten fired out of his shitty barista job that was paying the bills, he hasn’t painted in almost two months. Now, to top it all off, his one (1) good thing left in life, Yukhei, seems to be fading away as well. He closes his eyes, inhaling sharply. _ It be like that sometimes, we’ll get through _ , he tells himself,  _ again _ .

His phone buzzes, a message from the 00 fiends —  _ game night at yangyang’s _ . Renjun looks at the time, 21:43.  _ Soz, no can do today _ , he answers, locking the phone and heading to bed.

☂

Jungwoo’s stare sends him chills down his spine, but he pretends not to notice. They’re having lunch together for the first time in a while. The restaurant is a bit overpriced but Renjun needs to keep the appearances. He hopes Jungwoo doesn’t notice he ordered from the kids menu and that he didn’t ask for anything to drink.

“So,” Jungwoo starts with his innocent smile, “When are you gonna tell me about your crisis?”

Damn him and his ability to read people with one angelic look. 

“My what?” Renjun still tries. Boo boo the fool. Jungwoo gives him the most unimpressed look.

“Listen, I totally miss our weekly lunches at uni, but I gotta say this meeting has ulterior intentions,” he states calmly, “Jaemin texted me saying you’ve been acting strange for a while now and I needed to check if he was being dramatic,” a pointed look.

Renjun feels embarrassment creep up on him. There’s no way he can let Jungwoo dissect his current life problems in a restaurant. At lunch time. Public humiliation is definitely not his kink.

“I’m gonna be real with you,” Renjun says through gritted teeth, “Life is shit right now, but I can’t do this here.”

Jungwoo looks surprised, but nods in understanding and leans back on his chair.

“Alright, I’ll let you off for now,” he finally answers, “Anyways, how’s Yukhei?”

Renjun hasn’t seen him since their awkward last date the week before.

“Fine.”

Jungwoo’s eyes widen. There’s a tiny voice in Renjun’s mind that tells him ‘you fucked up’. He smiles forcibly and Jungwoo’s face contorts in concern. _ Please don’t _ , Renjun tries to convey through his expression, telepathy or whatever can help him right now.

“Fucking hell, you’re in deep shit, I thought-”

“We’re still together!” Renjun rushes to say, sensing Jungwoo got the wrong message, “It’s just been...strange.”

“Did he do something? You know I can-,” there’s a sliver of anger behind Jungwoo’s eyes.

“No, no, no, no,” Renjun waves widely, “It’s...my fault, I think.”

“You think?” he questions. Renjun huffs, frustrated.

“It just goes back to...everything,” he gestures vaguely. Jungwoo looks confused, but nods anyway, knowing he won’t get an explanation. 

“Then you just gotta fix everything,” he offers.

“Yeah,” Renjun laughs humorlessly, “I will. At some point.” 

☂

He feels exhausted as he walks through the apartment door. Jungwoo burned his remaining energy of the day by merely putting him on the spot.  _ Great. _

There’s no one at home, so he just heads to his room and flops onto his bed. Pulling out his phone, he sorts through his email. No commissions, no answers to his job applications, not even a message from his mom. It’s barely 3 in the afternoon and Renjun can’t seem to do anything. His body feels heavy, he hasn’t slept properly since God knows when, but he can’t keep his brain quiet enough to nap. 

He scrolls through Instagram, checking on the current events of his friends. They all seem busy, it doesn’t really help. He’s surprised to find Yukhei posted a story, but it’s only a video of an event he was at the day before. Renjun feels guilt crawl up his throat. He decides to act on it for once, opening his messages and sending a ‘hey’. Yukhei doesn’t give him time to overthink it.

**yukhei**

hey

sorry i haven't said anything

was really busy :/

**renjun**

it’s fine dw

**yukhei**

u ok?

aren't u at work?

Renjun gulps, unsure of how to answer. This is not a conversation to have over text.

**renjun**

r u busy today?

can we meet?

There’s a layer of coldness he doesn’t recognize in himself. He fights it.

**renjun**

i miss you

**yukhei**

yeah i’m free

im free rn actually

if you wanna come over

i miss you too

Renjun doesn’t even bother answering. 

  1. _A Crisis Of Art:_ Europe, Later Sixteenth Century



Yukhei seems confused and concerned as he opens the door. He carefully scans Renjun, not uttering any words, finally pulling him inside the apartment with a bone crushing hug. Renjun’s eyes are burning.

“I’m sorry I disappeared like that,” Yukhei says, and the genuineness of his voice nearly makes Renjun implode. He doesn’t really speak, simply sushing Yukhei, making him sit on the couch. 

“No,” he starts, with the tightest knot in his throat, “ _ I’m _ sorry.” Yukhei seems completely lost. His brows furrow and suddenly he looks a bit like a child that’s being told off. Renjun feels a little lost for words. He paces around the room anxiously. Yukhei looks paler by the second and it takes Renjun a second to realize he might think something terrible has happened.

“Why?” Yukhei almost whispers, voice trembling. 

And Renjun burst into tears, burying himself on Yukhei’s shoulder. He’d be impressed by the power of his eyes, he’s like a geyser, shooting out water works that could probably hurt someone in close distance, but his mind is clouded and  _ damn, _ this breakdown has been overdue.

Yukhei doesn’t talk, he holds Renjun close, rubs his back soothingly and waits calmly. 

Renjun hopes that in retrospect, he will look back at this moment and laugh at the thought that Jungwoo, as much as he tried to drill, couldn't get much out of Renjun's emotionally constipated self, whilst all Yukhei had to do was basically look at him. If that doesn't show how fucking whipped he is for Yukhei, then what will. Renjun can already see the facial expressions changing from confusion, to realization and finally the beaming smile that is Renjun's favourite because it's the personification of :D.

But right now he has to do the extremely embarrassing, incredibly heart wrenching task: talk about his feelings.

He doesn’t know how long it takes for the crying to subdue. His body feels heavy, his face feel puffy and sticky and Renjun feels so,  _ so _ tired. Yukhei moved them to a lying position on the couch at some point, Renjun on top, being squished into Yukhei. Lifting himself up, Renjun looks straight at Yukhei. There’s a concerned expression looking back at him.

“I’m okay,” Renjun croaks, throat feeling sore, “I think.”

“Mhhm,” Yukhei hums, whipping some stray tears from Renjun’s face with his thumb, “I think you’re not. And that’s ok.”

Renjun stops to consider and nods. He lets out a long sigh and leans back to Yukhei, hugging him tighter.

“Yeah, life is just...” he starts, already feeling the frustration build up, “Not ideal right now.”

Yukhei hums, rubbing his back once again. 

“I’ve been stuck on an artist block for a while now,” Renjun carries on.  _ Yeah, it hurts like a bitch to admit it. _ “I haven’t gotten any new commissions since the first one. I got fired from my job. I can’t find anything to do related to my degree. I got no answers from the places I applied to. I don’t know how I’m gonna pay the bills,” he lists off, shrinking more and more into Yukhei. “I feel so tired all the time,” he whispers, “and I’m not doing anything.”

Some tears leaked and he sobs quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Yukhei whispers back, shushing Renjun before he can cut him off, “I’m sorry that you feel like this. And  _ fuck, _ that’s too heavy to carry all at once,” he drops gentle kisses on Renjun’s cheeks, “It’s okay to be frustrated and show it. You shouldn’t build that up inside yourself, it will only make it worse.”

“I know, but If I say it outloud it makes it real,” Renjun says quietly, afraid to admit it, “I don’t want it to be real.” Yukhei squeezes into a hug.

“But it is,” he answers just as quietly, “and you’re going to have to face the consequences.” Renjun sniffles, nodding slowly. “But you’re not alone in that. I’m here, your friends are here, your parents are here. You are so  _ loved _ Renjun, no matter what happens, you have us to fall back on,” Yukhei finishes off combining some stray hairs out of Renjun’s sticky tear filled face. “Maybe there’s something better coming further down the line. Maybe this is a premise for a brighter future. We won’t know until it happens. But we’ll get through this,  _ you’ll get through this. _ ”

Some more tears spill throughout Yukhei’s encouragement, but this time he feels calmer. He grabs Yukhei’s face, squishing it with intent. He clears his throat.

“I  _ will _ get through this,” he says, decidedly, “even if the Jonas Brothers came back before the end of my artistic block.” 

Yukhei laughs, shaking the both of them. He gives Renjun a loving look, regardless of the fact that he’s deflecting a bit from the topic at hand.

“ _ That’s my baby _ ,” he declares proudly before leaning down to give him a proper kiss.

☂

All the crying tires out Renjun. Yukhei takes them both to bed, finally giving the chance for some proper rest. For the first time in a while, Renjun feels lighter, not so plagued by frustration and failure. He feels relaxed as Yukhei draws circles on his sweatpant covered thigh.

“What song do want to play at your funeral?” Renjun asks, eyes on the dirty spot on the ceiling, “Like, hypothetically, if you get to choose.”

“Hey Ya! by OutKast,” Yukhei answers after a small break, “It’s a classic, just like me,” he’s definitely smiling, “What about yours?”

“Well, depends,” Renjun starts, turning around to find a confused looking Yukhei.

“On what?” his brows are burrowed.

“How I die,” Renjun states as if it’s obvious, “Like, if I’m run over by a car,  _ Shut Up and Drive _ by Rihanna; if I'm dismembered,  _ Piece of Me _ by Britney Spears; if I’m burned alive,  _ Gasolina _ by Daddy Yankee... ” he lists.

“You’ve clearly thought about this quite a bit,” Yukhei says, trying not to laugh.

“I’m concerned every time Donghyuck cooks,” Renjun answers being completely honest. 

Yukhei rises from his spot to look at Renjun. His lips are pressed, but as soon as they locks eyes he breaks into giggles. The two of them laugh quietly and Renjun feels more weight being lifted off his shoulders. It feels just like the first time, when they clicked, when Yukhei laughed at Renjun’s crude sense of humor, when Renjun liked Yukhei’s self-confidence as well as his dumb one liners he loves so much.

“You know,” he says softly, reaching his hand out to touch Yukhei’s hair, “Out of all things I’m eternally grateful for, Jungwoo making me sign up for tinder may be one of my top three.” Renjun gently caresses Yukhei’s cheek. He hums, closing his eyes with a goofy smile.

“Me too,” Yukhei answers earnestly, “I love you. Very much, you know?” Renjun heart clenches pleasurably.

“Yeah, I know,” Renjun whispers back, “I love you too, more than you’ll ever know.” 

  1. _The Mirror of Nature:_ Holland in the Seventeenth Century



The next few days are mildly hectic, spent half at his shared apartment half at Yukhei’s. He talks to the _ 00 fiends _ about his breakdown, minus some more gruesome details, but they all seem happy to know Renjun has finally acknowledge his feelings. None of them pressure him into special programs, useless life advice books or getting a life coach. Instead, they focused on what they can help.

“We can handle the rent until you get a job, that’s not a problem,” Jeno starts, pulling Renjun into a hug, “Just like cook dinner, or something.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want any fires in the kitchen,” Jaemin says with side glance at Donghyuck.

“It was  _ one time _ , and Kun put it out in three seconds,” Donghyuck whines, “Doesn’t matter, Renjun is a great cook, I will happily eat whatever he cooks.” He moves to hug Renjun’s side that is free of Jeno. Jaemin joins right after.

“I love hug piles,” Jaemin says with a happy sigh.

“I can’t breathe,” Renjun attempts to say.

“That’s even better,” Donghyuck adds.

☂

It’s friday, early morning. Renjun is in bed, mentally planning what he’s going to do when he gets a text from Yukhei,  _ ‘Be ready in 20 minutes, I’m picking you up’.  _ Roughly one minute later Jaemin and Donghyuck break into his room.

“Get out loser,” Donghyuck says while Jaemin pushes him out of bed.

“ _ What the fuck- _ ,” Renjun can’t even finish his sentence before being locked out of his room. Jeno is outside, hand extended to help him up.

“C’mon, I have breakfast ready for you,” he smiles cutely, pointing to a bowl of fruit loops and a mug of what smells like Jaemin’s disgusting coffee. He takes it, unsure of when this hell will end.

Ten minutes later he finds himself being thrown some clothes.

“Go, go, go!” Donghyuck and Jaemin scream, rushing him to the bathroom. He comes out five minutes later to find Yukhei sat on the couch happily talking to Jeno about a cat he saw on the way. He also has a bag Renjun recognizes as his own hanging on his shoulder. 

“Uh, what the heck is going on?” he summarizes in one sentence. Yukhei turns to him with a wide grin.

“Can’t tell you, just follow me, Kun’s waiting,” he says while grabbing Renjun’s hand and pulling him out of the apartment. The three menaces wave behind him.

“Have fun,” Jeno says.

“Don’t forget to wear sunscreen!” Jaemin adds.

“And protection!” finishes off Donghyuck.

_ What the fuck. _

Kun is indeed outside waiting for them. In his car. 

“Morning kiddos, are you ready?” he says cheerful. Yukhei nods, clicking his seatbelt. Renjun is still confused as hell, but remains quiet for the fifteen minute journey. No one says anything, the only background noise being the song playing on the car radio. Kun hums along, lightly tapping the steering wheel. He drops them off at the train station.

“I’ll see you on Sunday, be safe!”

And he drives off. Renjun turns to Yukhei, loss for words.

“We’re going away for the weekend,” he offers with a smile.

☂

Renjun opens the curtains of the hotel room to find the beach just a few meters away. He opens the windows, immediately smelling the salty waves. Behind him, Yukhei comes closer, back hugging him.

“Do you like it?” he asks, and Renjun notes the tiniest bit of doubt.

“I love it,” he says, turning around to smile at Yukhei, “Thank you. You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted,” Yukhei as well, smiling as well, “I thought a change of routine could be good for us.” Renjun hums in agreement, sighing and leaning into Yukhei’s chest happily. “Now get your cute butt into some swimwear cause I want to catch some waves,” he says patting Renjun’s butt.

☂

The early June sun is warm enough to be enjoyable but not hot enough to burn too much. There’s a few families at the beach, enjoying a little weekend getaway in the sun. To Renjun’s surprise, Yukhei came very prepared. He makes sure Renjun is properly covered in sunscreen before they leave the hotel and brings a bag with them that turns out to be filled with snacks, towels and water. _ A keeper _ , his mom would say, and Renjun would certainly agree.

Yukhei stretches out like a cat before lying down on his towel to enjoy the sun. Renjun tries to not oggle him too much, wearing sunglasses and all, but Yukhei knows, he  _ always _ knows.

“Enjoying the view, eh?” he says, lying face down on his towel. He lifts his neck to wiggle his eyebrows at Renjun, who huffs, looking away.

“Yes, the waves are very pretty reflecting the light and all. The contrast of blue and yellow is particularly nice too-” he starts listing off, unable to stop smiling. Yukhei laughs.

“Mr. _ I-know-art, _ could you please paint a pretty picture on my back?” he asks with a pout, “Today’s available medium is sunscreen.” Renjun raises his glasses to send Yukhei a furrowed brow before getting up to sit beside him.

“Any requests?” Renjun asks as he squeezes a bunch of sunscreen into his hands.

“Mmh,” Yukhei hums in thought, “Paint me this view.”

Renjun gets to work, spreading the sunscreen around as he copies the beautiful landscape in front of him. He finds the white and Yukhei’s skin color have a nice contrast. He doesn’t realize how much he’s enjoying the process until Yukhei speaks again.

“How does it look?”

“Surprisingly, kind of good?” Renjun finds himself saying.

“Nice,” Yukhei answers, turning his head with a smile. Renjun smiles back, reaching a sunscreen covered finger to swipe on Yukhei’s nose.

“C’mon, let’s go to the water!”

☂

Yukhei throws himself into the ocean with complete disregard for the temperature. He emerges again, attempting to look at his back with a concerned stare.

“What’s wrong?” Renjun asks, getting closer to inspect.

“All of your hard work,” Yukhei says with a frown, “Undone with one swag.”

Renjun bursts out laughing.

“Are you not upset?” Yukhei asks, suspicious.

“Art is temporary,” Renjun answers elusively, “Everything is.”

“Not my swag,” he says, making peace signs and diving under a wave. Renjun shake his head with a grin.  _ What a lovable idiot. _

  1. _The Break in Tradition:_ England, America and France, Late Eighteenth Century and Early Nineteenth Century



Renjun feels like he’s walking on cloud nine when he finally lays in bed that night. Freshly showered and drained from the beach day. The lights are dimmed and Yukhei keeps walking from side to side, grabbing stuff from his bag as well as Renjun.

“The fact that you haven’t joined me yet is absolutely blasphemic,” Renjun mutters, curling himself sideways so he can look at Yukhei. The latter turns around with a pout and holds up one hand signaling  _ wait. _ Renjun pouts back, but remains quiet. 

Some more rustling later, Yukhei finally turns around holding some miscellaneous items and sits on the end of the bed.

“I’ve done some thinking and some researching,” he says calmly. Renjun holds himself back from making stupid comments as he senses some seriousness in Yukhei’s words. Instead, he rises up from his spot, sitting cross-legged facing Yukhei. “And I might have some things we can try to help you overcome the block.”

On the bed is his forgotten sketchbook, his favourite mechanical pencil that has been duct taped over and over again and  _ a blonde wig? _ He looks at Yukhei for an explanation.

“You’ve always told me your best work comes out when you’re not worried about the end result,” Yukhei reaches a hand out, squeezing Renjun’s, “Maybe you’re missing working with no pressure about the final product, maybe we should try something silly.” 

Renjun smiles at him, squeezing back the hand.

“You’re right. So what do you suggest?”

☂

Renjun expects a silly cosplay, maybe a cheap drag transformation or even just some last minute costume. What he doesn’t expect is a naked Yukhei with a long blonde wig doing extravagant poses at the end of the bed. It’s like his sleep paralysis demon came to life, except it’s his naked boyfriend doing some fucked up yoga. He doesn’t question it, though. Yukhei gives him five minutes to sketch before he changes position and Renjun feels like he’s back in life drawing class, racing against time. Most people find it dumb to restrict time on sketching, but Renjun finds it freeing. Learning how to capture the essence of the moment has taught him more about drawing than anything else.

Yukhei starts easy, with his hands on his hips, back straight and a serious side profile. Renjun feels the lead of the mechanical pencil move on the paper automatically. The first lines are stiff, but he doesn’t dwell on them, retracing and reshaping. 

“Next!” Yukhei yells, flipping part of his fake hair behind his back. He brings one hand to cover his lips and other to show a peace sign. Renjun snickers as he puts down the guiding lines. The shapes come easier and easier as he goes, the proportions are decent and the essence is starting to arrive. The blonde wig adds a little _ ‘humpf’  _ he didn’t knew he needed, but _ goddammit he’ll take it. _

The next pose is Renjun’s favourite, Yukhei lies on the end of the bed, Katy Perry in the clouds style, with a sickening sweet smile and feet dangling cutely. He whistles at his boyfriend with an eyebrow wiggle. Yukhei giggles, twirling a strand of synthetic hair in his pointer finger. This one comes out great, Renjun happily sketches more detail, acutely aware Yukhei is giving him more than five minutes. When he looks back at Yukhei he finds a soft smile.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Yukhei says quietly, “You just look really cute when you’re focused. You always have a bit of your tongue out and your brows furrow and just,” he sounds like he’s seconds away from bursting. “Ou-wou.”

“Shut up,” Renjun mutters with a hint of blushed cheeks, “What do you think?” He turns the sketchbook towards Yukhei, who hums appreciatively at the drawing.

“You always make me look hot,” he smiles, tracing the lines and getting his hand slapped away.

“You  _ are _ hot, dumbass,” Renjun states, throwing the sketchbook on the floor and pulling Yukhei to the middle of the bed. The latter giggles, turning to lie on his back.

“Why’d do that? We were having fun,” he pouts, combing a piece of the stupid wig behind his ear. Renjun is about to go feral. 

“Well, I think,” he says, climbing on top of Yukhei, “There are funner things awaiting.” Renjun’s hands go straight to Yukhei’s shoulder and he slowly brings them down his body, making sure to press just enough on every bit of his boyfriend’s body. “Don’t you,  _ baby? _ ” he practically purrs. 

Yukhei gulps, a zoned out look on his face. Renjun can’t help but smirk, always satisfied to have the last word. He leans down, dropping a wet kiss on Yukhei’s collarbones, blowing cold air right after. Yukhei gasps, rising his hips so much he sends Renjun tumbling out of bed. 

Scrambling to check if Renjun is alright, Yukhei leans over too much, falling as well. 

“Your dick is really that powerful,” Renjun thinks out loud, “Should’ve been wearing a helmet, safety is number one priority.”

Renjun bursts out laughing, whole body shaking. Yukhei joins him, finally pulling off the wig. Renjun rises up to look at Yukhei.

“For safety reasons, I think we should fuck on the floor.”

  1. _The Age of Reason:_ England and France, Eighteenth Century



Kun is really the only man ever, Renjun thinks, as he sits on the passenger seat, admiring the fact that he hasn’t commented once on the fact that both Yukhei and him are covered with several different kinds of bruises. He smiles to himself as he remembers the highlights of the weekend, namely when Yukhei did a lip sync of Hannah Montana’s  _ Nobody’s Perfect _ in the blonde wig, still naked. 12/10, great ass.

They drop off Yukhei at his apartment — Kun has to drag Renjun back into the car because he can’t let go of Yukhei — and takes him out for lunch. 

“So, how are you feeling?” Kun asks over hotpot, “You know, after the whole breakdown, having your friends support you and spending some time away with Yukhei?” 

Renjun stops to create a coherent answer.

“A lot better, honestly,” he admits, “But at the same time, I still have no idea what to do. Sharing my feelings didn’t open some sort of portal of opportunities.” He frowns at the bowl. Kun laughs, doubling over the table.

“Of course not, life sucks, don’t you know?” 

Renjun gives the most unimpressed glare. Did Kun buy him lunch just to make fun of him? Disgraceful.

“Life sucks, but some people make it better,” Kun completes with a smile, “I think that much you’ve figured out.” Renjun nods, watching carefully, suspicious of what may come next. “Disappointment and frustration is part of growing up, part of being an adult and part of life. And you gotta keep going, even if it hurts. You know, like baby birds, before they fly, they fall.” And he just fucking keeps eating. Renjun stares at him, a little stunned, sincerely considering clapping because Qian Kun,  _ what a man.  _

  1. _Revolution in Permanence:_ The Nineteenth Century



“After your breakdown Yukhei took you on vacation, I’d say you were pretty successful in the whole  _ sharing your feelings, _ you know,” Yangyang states, mouth full of chips as he guides Bowser through the track.

“Valid,” Renjun answers, trying not to stray from his solid 2nd place.

“No one cares about that, what we want to know is why you got home looking like you got beat up,” Donghyuck demands, squealing on his last syllable as Jaemin attacks him with a shell. 

“You should've seen the other guy,” Renjun grins to himself, close to passing Jeno.

“Did you just admit your kink is fist fighting?” Jaemin questions, looking away from the screen for a second, “Disappointed, but not surprised.”

_ “Renjun’s kink is fist-” _ Yangyang declares.

“Guys, please, we’re eating,” Jeno whines from his spot on the couch with a chicken nugget in hand. It flies across the room when Renjun takes the first place at the last second. As Jeno rushes to pick up the nugget, apologizing for hurting it, Renjun gets up from his seat on the floor.

“I will not deny or confirm my kink,” he smiles elusively, ”Friends, I must go, a strange man named Yukhei heart emoji just sent me a wink emoji.” The four of the groan and Renjun grins, satisfied with himself. 

  1. _Experimental Art:_ The Twentieth Century



Renjun arrives at Yukhei’s to find chaos. After receiving a wink emoji with no other context, his naked boyfriend is seemingly the only option. But somehow (and Renjun is afraid to find out why), this may be the one time he’s not delighted to find him butt naked on the couch.

_ “What the fuck happened to your ass?” _

“Listen,” Yukhei starts and he looks like he’s in pain, “You know how I do dumb shit? I might have outdone myself.”

And that’s how they find themselves at the ER, Yukhei unable to sit down and Renjun with no clue as to why Yukhei’s butt possibly has a second degree burn. The doctor that is in charge of them is incredibly nice and makes sure Yukhei is in significant less pain before he asks any questions.

“Mr. Wong, how did this happen?” he asks as Yukhei has his butt in the air and face buried in the mattress of his hospital bed. Renjun stands next to him afraid of the answer might be.

“You see Doc, my boyfriend and I were going to have a romantic date,” Yukhei states, and Renjun gives him props for sounding nonchalant, “And I wanted to do something nice for him, you know? So when I was heating up food on the stove I thought-” Yukhei stops mid sentence and doesn’t finish it. Renjun can only turn around and cover his face from second (and first) hand embarrassment. The doctor seems mildly impressed. 

“Mr. Wong, you’re very neo.”

☂

_ Donghyuck added kun, jaemin, yangyang, jeno, renjun and yukhei in the group chat. _

**donghyuck**

i got three words for you officer

renjun eats ass

_ Renjun has left the group chat _

**Author's Note:**

> when e. h. gombrich published the story of art in 1950, he didn't know in 2019 it would end up being linked with ass eating but here we are
> 
> let's keep talking about luren, if we don't shut up they can't die: [twt](https://twitter.com/ridikunlous) & [cc](https://curiouscat.me/ridikunlous)


End file.
